How Self-Proclaimed 'News Nerd' Hallie Jackson Plans to Tackle Her New Role as Sunday's “NBC Nightly News” Host

Jackson will begin anchoring the Sunday edition of "NBC Nightly News" on April 7

To call Hallie Jackson a "news junkie" would be putting it mildly.

Now an award-winning senior Washington correspondent for NBC News and the anchor of Hallie Jackson NOW (which airs weekdays at 5 p.m. on NBC's streaming service News NOW), Jackson, 39, was so enamored with news in high school that her ring tone was the intro music for a local news show in her hometown of Lower Makefield, Penn.

Speaking to PEOPLE, Jackson holds her phone aloft to play another intro — that of the Sunday edition of NBC Nightly News, which she will begin anchoring on April 7.

Jackson shakes her head in disbelief as a booming voice coming out of the phone speakers declares, "This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson."

"For a news nerd to hear that is an out-of-body experience," she says.

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That Jackson is stepping into an anchor chair inhabited by news giants like Lester Holt and Brian Williams doesn't go unnoticed.

"This goes back to the idea of being a news nerd — I take what we do super seriously," Jackson tells PEOPLE. "To be able to have the opportunity to set the table for people for their week ahead. To come on on Sunday nights and get them ready for what's ahead is an enormous responsibility."

Heading into the 2024 election, Jackson acknowledges that the responsibility is especially great — there will be political headlines to break down, candidates making claims of "fake news," and many, many long nights.

"It's going to be election days, plural. I am preparing for an absolute marathon for not just that one day in November day but for days after that," she says, acknowledging, "I'm lucky to do this job, I'm privileged to do this — but burnout is real."

As for how she plans to get through the election season, there are quick pick-me-ups, like a steady stream of iced Americanos and handfuls of M&Ms — a habit picked up from fellow journalist Andrea Mitchell, Jackson says. "They're very portable, so you can grab some during a commercial break."

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But there are also the day-to-day practices that help alleviate stress: daily walks — either outside or during calls — a meditation practice, and journaling.

And, of course, there's time spent with family, like Jackson's 4-year-old daughter — Monroe "Ro" Jackson Thorp — with her partner, NBC News reporter and producer Frank Thorp.

"My daughter's in preschool during the week [but] she comes and visits the studio almost every week. My partner brings her after school on Friday nights," Jackson says. "She's growing up in the newsroom, which is so cool. Whether or not she decides to be in journalism, she's seeing me work."

Related: Lester Holt Calls Modern Journalism a 'High Calling' as He Takes 'Nightly News' on the Road to Florida

As for how Jackson is adjusting to her new role, she says that the camaraderie of her colleagues — including Nightly News weekday host Holt — has been integral.

"Lester is texting me words of wisdom and it's great to feel that support and love," Jackson says.

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But family and friends are offering their own fruits of wisdom — some of it profound, and some of it much more straightforward, but equally as touching.

"The best advice I ever got was just: Be yourself," she says, adding that her goal is to "strip away some of the formality" that often comes with anchoring a news program.

"My father-in-law gave me one of the best compliments when he watched one of my shows and said, 'Man, I felt like I was just talking to you on a weekend. That felt like the Hallie I know,'" she says. "That was validating to me. People tune in to NBC News because they trust us, and the journalists we are."

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